


A New Purpose

by Titti



Series: A New Purpose [1]
Category: Oz (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titti/pseuds/Titti
Summary: When Ryan arrives in Sing Sing, he finds a new purpose in life, namely Miguel Alvarez
Relationships: Miguel Alvarez/Ryan O'Reily
Series: A New Purpose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168571
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. N is for… New Jail

**Author's Note:**

> This is story is being written in chapters in response to prompts at hardtime100 and dove_drabbles at dw.

Ryan hated Sing Sing from the moment he walked in. It was a big building, split in the middle, with each side mirroring the other: Cellblock A and B, maximum security. Each cellblock had four floors of cells facing windows, one person per cell. In a way, it was safer than Oz, because you were in your little cell and no one could get to you. It was also lonely and it hindered business.

He was on the fourth floor on the east side. He liked being on top where he could see everything as he made his way down. 

***

Miguel loved Sing Sing. You could stay in your cell most of the day. You got to see the sky from the big windows. You also got to leave the building. Mandatory yard time meant two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. Sure, it was a bitch in the snow, but better than being locked inside.

The food was as terrible as in Oz, but he was too high to care. It had taken ten minutes before some Puerto Rican dude had hooked him up. Latinos stick together, hermano! Miguel agreed, even if it wasn't El Norte.

***

They didn't get jobs, not in maximum security. The men in medium and minimum did, but Ryan would never get there since those areas were reserved for people about to be released. Besides the yard time, which Ryan used for business reasons as much as for exercise, there was a school.

He was put in the GED classes, which meant that technically he wasn't required to go, but school was one of the two places were you could interact with people from medium and minimum security and those people could bring shit in. The other place good for business was church.

In less than two weeks, Ryan was set up. He didn't get ambitious. He kept a strange peace with all the different gangs and slept peacefully in his one-person cell. Things should have stayed that way, but Ryan was never good at staying out of trouble.

"Leave him alone." The words were out of his mouth without even thinking.

"What's it to you, man?" a man whose tattoos identified as Nazi scum.

"He's friends with the new priest we have. You hurt him, lots of guards get upset, it becomes all of our problems."

The Aryan kicked Miguel who was currently on the floor of the yard while the guards were warm inside some building before leaving.

Ryan crouched him down and helped Miguel up. "This isn't Em City. There's no McManus to watch your back."

"I'm gonna die here," Alvarez said with a dumb smile on his face.

"No way," Ryan said with conviction. "We're staying alive until we go home."

Miguel laughed. "And how do you know? Did the fairy tell you?"

"Because I'll make sure that you survive." And just like that, Ryan had a new mission. He would manage to survive and keep Miguel alive.


	2. A is for… Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan forces Miguel to come alive

"Where are we going? It's time for count." Miguel couldn't believe that he was following Ryan. 

"Not for us." Ryan grinned as he walked down the stairs. "You're officially in the GED program with me; you're welcome. Classes are in the evening, so we get to stay out later. Until nine." 

"No shit." Miguel couldn't remember a time when he'd been out of his cell that late, unless he'd been in the infirmary. Thinking back, he had spent a lot of time in the infirmary. Or the hole.

Ryan turned around to look at Miguel. "You fuck this up for me and we have a problem."

"Never asked you to do this for me." Miguel was trying to figure out why the Mick was being friendly. Ryan always had a reason and those reasons tended to get you killed.

"Call it an adventure." Ryan restarted his descent until they got to the ground floor. "We get our GED, stay out at night and we get to see other people. Rebadow is volunteering. He's in minimum security with Busmalis. Beecher is in medium."

Miguel should be surprised that Ryan knew all of this, since the cellblocks were kept segregated, and yet he wasn't. Ryan knew everything, always had, which meant- "Where can I find D?"

Ryan smiled at the guard, who checked their names, took their IDs, before sending them to the school. Outside the large spotlights lit the dark night. It was deceptively quiet, but Ryan knew that there were cameras all over. It was the only thing stopping him from grabbing Miguel and shaking him until he came to his senses. "None of that shit, okay? Not the D, not the heroine, the coke, the crack or whatever they are bringing in. You do something stupid here, you don't go back to Oz."

"You think we're going back?" Miguel asked.

"Yeah, man. No one wants to lose all that money. Owner will make sure we reopen," Ryan said. "'Sides, Mukada said that he was told that he's going back."

"You know a lot," Miguel said with a deceptive bored tone.

"Got to. This fucking jail is huge. Classes and church is where you get the 411 on the other cellblocks. Me and you, we're doing this together," Ryan said.

"Why should I? People around you tend to die," Miguel pointed out.

"People I don't like tend to die." Ryan sighed. "Cyril is dead. My father has been shipped to Lardner. Ma can't be assigned here. Gloria decided that she can't do this anymore. Point is, that we have no friends here, but me and you, we know how to survive."

Miguel put his hands in his pockets. "What if I don't want to?"

"Then pretend to be on a fucking adventure. Stay alive long enough and you'll want to stay alive." Ryan knew that well enough.

"Fucking adventure." Miguel shook his head. "Only you." But maybe, he could try Ryan's idea. It wasn't like he had a better one.


	3. Love Will Always And Forever Break Your Yeart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan and Miguel have a little heart to heart

Miguel ended up in the hospital ward when his withdrawal symptoms got bad. In Oz, Ryan would have brought him a meal, checked on him, but in Sing Sing, maximum security inmates didn't run around the buildings like they owned the place. Instead he waited until Miguel was back in Cellblock A.

"How are you feeling?" Ryan asked from outside the cell.

Miguel was in bed, rubbing his stomach like he usually did. "New man, all cured. Now I can finish up my schooling, maybe take some college classes and I'll be a changed man."

"Yeah? McManus will be fucking furious when he finds out that two months in this place and you're practically a model citizen," Ryan said with a grin.

"I'll just have to do fuck up then. Wouldn't want to upset McManus?" He sighed. "You really think we're going back?"

Ryan nodded. "I know we are. Mukada is praying for it and calling the Cardinal. He believes in prayer; I believe in the Cardinal."

Miguel grinned. "I can't believe you're going to church."

"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. I also signed up for the group therapy." 

Miguel raised his eyebrows. "I gotta go to that, too. Mandatory for the next three months. You had no idea, right, hermano?"

Ryan had a smug grin on his face. "How would I know such a thing?" He stepped inside and leaned against the desk they all had. "Do you know what else they have here? Conjugal."

Miguel shook his head. "I'm done with that shit, man. Love will always and forever break your heart."

He shrugged. "What else do you we have here? We have no hope, no friends, but we always time for love. Or at least sex. Thinking we can find some lovely ladies willing to say they are our girlfriends for the right amount."

Miguel chuckled. "When people say they are bringing tits in, they don't mean that literally."

Ryan shrugged. "Gotta get creative, _hermano_."

"So you're paying a whore?" Miguel asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Maybe. I doubt it. Shit always happens, you know?" Ryan admits.

"But Nathan is gone," Miguel said.

Ryan shrugged. "She had enough. Can't blame her. Us in the same jail would lead to trouble and here there's no McManus or Glynn to protect her." He couldn't even protect her, not when he had limited access outside of the maximum security building, which was not just in another building, but a good 15 minutes away. Up the hill as they called it down in medium and minimum.

"So you're looking for a new love," Miguel said. "In here."

Ryan shrugged. "I'm looking to stay alive, as always. We'll see what happens."

"And you've decided that you're dragging me along whether I like it or not."

Ryan grinned. "I knew you were smart." He winked and left.

Miguel chuckled. He wasn't sure what the future would bring, but it certain wouldn't be boring with Ryan around.


End file.
